This is the Truth Network. Encouraging Prayer God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On encouraging prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray. And now, here's James.
So, today on Encouraging Prayer, we're going to talk about how to pray when you feel like giving up.
So James, I have a feeling this comes from a personal place. Yeah, it does, Robbie. I mean, I've worked with Parents of Prodigals for some time now, and I have been there myself more than I can count. And this is one of those challenges that we all encounter again and again.
Sometimes, You do feel like giving up, especially when things seem to go from bad to worse and you wonder where God is in the moment if you're honest. And I don't know why it is, but sometimes when it comes to prayer, when it comes to talking about faith, a lot of people aren't honest, you know. But the words of the man to Jesus in Mark 9 are so on point here. I believe but help my unbelief. And in those words is the clue that we need.
to help us when we feel like giving up.
Well, how so?
Well, because he does the very thing we need to do, which seems counterintuitive when we feel like giving up on our prayers. He doubles down.
So, you know, again, go back to that concept of honesty. God loves that. In that moment, that man takes a prayer to a whole new level of honesty. And Jesus doesn't rebuke him for his unbelief. He answers his prayer, he answers his request.
And that is exactly where we need to go with him. Oh, you're right, but that's challenging because we can get s so tired and discouraged. And sure, others can come along and tell us to have more faith, but they seemed like Job's comforters at that time, and it's not too comforting. Yeah, exactly. when emotions are really raw and You're sorting it all out.
And this is the thing that's so important for us to understand: God actually loves raw. Prayer. Spurgeon once said of the weapon of prayer that when it's the most blunt, it seems to cut the best. In other words, it's not those articulate moments, you know. It's the moments.
when you can barely get the words out. And your prayers just You know, come down to maybe little more than baleful cries, or maybe all you can do is just. Pray Jesus' name. That's all you've got. Yeah.
But but that's a lot. Exactly. Exactly. Just praying the name of Jesus with. With a heart that is is The old with with Um passion, that that's something.
Yeah, so let's talk about some more places where you see prayers like that in the Bible.
Well, funny you should ask about that. I did a search as I was getting ready for our talk, specifically about the number of times that the prayer, how long, occurs in Scripture. What did you find out? Oh, man. I more than I thought.
I mean, I I stopped counting after about a dozen. But just Here are some of them. I want to read some of them because it's just Let's go into Psalm 6, first of all. Just listen to this, because this is a good jumping-off place. Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep. anguish How long? Lord How long?
Or then you go on to, oh, just go to Psalm 13. And you'll find David praying. Um How long, Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long?
Must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long? Will my enemy triumph over me? Oh yeah.
So uh th that's just two Psalms. Yeah? And you keep going from there. You'll see Psalm 35 and Psalm 74 and Psalm 79 and Psalm 89 and Psalm 90 and Isaiah 6 and Revelation 610. And then there's other variations of this, you know, like Um Do not delay, or when will you comfort me?
That's Psalm 40, and then Psalm 11982. Or how long must I call for help out of Habakkuk 12? Uh you know, just And there's more. How long will the wicked exult? That's out of Psalm 94.
And it goes on and on. Um And I love the fact that it does. Because What's happening here is that these basically show us, they open God's rule book for prayer. And guess what? Those prayers are allowed.
Bye. You know? I I I think God wants us So pray like that. Yeah, so why do you think? I Think that what God is after more than anything else is.
Our attention. You know, if we're to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength. Then That we have to admit we have a focus problem. Yes.
So so often our circumstances will will bring us to that place where we realize we've we've got nothing. And and we've got to go to him. But it it's You know All of this comes out of a heart of love. from God because even though we may be praying about a circumstance that That we think we know the answer that we need. For If we just go to God, with complete honesty in those places, he will work with us.
and work the circumstance through.
So that we're in a better place. But he has to have us, he has to have our focus, he has to have our honesty. for that to happen at all, right? It's so funny you bring all this up because I don't know if you ever heard this story, but. You know, a few years ago when God was engaging me on memorizing um certain passages, he says, I want you to memorize Psalm 13, right?
And my immediate response to it was just in talk about raw. I said, man, I hope it's not long. And I open it up in the first few words. You meant Psalm 119, right? No, I mean Psalm 13.
Oh, Psalm 13. Oh, yeah. And so I'm going, how long, Lord? Before you know, if I'm going to memorize this thing and I read the first opening line, it's how long will.
Well, you hide your face from me. It was like, oh, I think I should pray.
So Lord, thank you, thank you that we can ask that question. And yet even as I say this, you know how many things I'm asking you, how long. Because especially when it comes to our families and things that we've struggled with for a long, long time, Lord. But I thank you that you're there with us in that. And I thank you that you've shown us through encouraging prayer that much of the joy of prayer is just sharing in these times with you as we walk through these places.
And so I ask you that you would encourage us to keep asking how long? In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina.
May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. Yeah. This is the Truth Network.
